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Re: How do I change the Brake and pw steering fluid?
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Posted by Ari [Email] (#2847) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Ari) on Tue, 31 Jul 2001 22:45:31 Share Post by Email
In Reply to: How do I change the Brake and pw steering fluid?, jeffla, Tue, 31 Jul 2001 21:51:32
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Power steering fluid - first, drain the reservoir down with a turkey baster as much as possible. Then pull off the return hose (CAREFULLY!). Put the return hose into a large container and fill the reservoir with clean fluid. Have an assistant start the car, and turn the steering wheel back and forth. Feed in fresh fluid as the level drops. When the stuff from the return line looks as good as the stuff you're putting in, have your assistant shut off the car. Reconnect the return line, check the level, and you're done.

Brake fluid - First, suck as much fluid out of the reservoir as possible with your handy turkey baster. Be careful - brake fluid will lift paint. Now -two methods.

Jack up and support the front of the car and pull off a front tire. Slip a hose over the bleed nipple of the brake caliper and run it into a jar. Fill the reservoir with clean fluid, and open the bleed nipple a little. Gently pump the brake pedal - DON'T press it to the floor - just little short strokes. Fluid will flow slowly out the hose. Make sure the reservoir doesn't empty. When the fluid coming out looks clear, close the nipple and move to the other front tire and repeat.

For the rears, you can have your assistant turn the car ON (don't start it - just ON), which runs the ABS pump, while they hold the brake pedal down. Fluid will flow out the rear caliper bleed nipple. Again, DON'T let the brake reservoir run out, and DON'T RUN THE PUMP MORE THAN 2 MINUTES AT A TIME. Let the pump cool for ten minutes between runs.

The other method is to use a pressure bleeder - it fits over the reservoir cap and pressurizes the system to about 10-12 psi. You then open the bleed nipples and the fluid comes out. You still have to keep an eye on the level and refill as necessary. Count on about 2 quarts of fluid for a 9000 flush.

If I were you, I'd flush the brakes but leave the power steering alone. If things go badly, you could break off the return line to the power steering reservoir, and then you'd be really unhappy. One approach is to turkey-baster the PS reservoir empty, fill with clean fluid, and start the car and turn the steering wheel back and forth for a while. Go for a drive in a parking lot. Then baster the reservoir empty again and fill with clean. Repeat. After about 3 or 4 of these the fluid will be pretty clean.

Be very gentle with the brake bleed nipples. Use only a deep 6 point socket. They like to round, and then you'll be unhappy. If you have trouble with one nipple, leave it be and do the others. The car will be fine and you can work on it when you get back.

While you have the wheels off, do you need new brake pads? And lastly, plan on doing this a few days ahead of your trip, and make some short trips with the car before you set off. The most common time to have a problem is right after you do maintenance on the car. Why? Because that's when you've forgotten to tighten something, or put a brake pad in backwards (it happens!) or the like. If it's the night before your trip, leave the car alone and do the job when you get back. It's better than screwing something up. I don't say this to doubt your abilities. We all screw up. And if this is the first time you've tried a procedure, the night before the big trip isn't the time to test it.

Good luck!
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